Imran reveals how he picked Waqar, Inzamam

LONDON- One of the most inspirational skippers of all time, Imran Khan led Pakistan to their first ever World Cup triumph in 1992. The talismanic all-rounder led his team from the front as Pakistan scripted one of the most memorable triumphs in cricket history.

Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan recently revealed some interesting stories about how he picked the likes of Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq for the Pakistan side. In an interview with the Fox Sports, the flamboyant skipper shared some interesting anecdotes about the selection of the mentioned players who were never on the radar of the selectors.

In the case of Waqar Younis, Imran said that one day he was watching a local ODI game while lying on the bed because of food poison when he first saw Waqar. Then he called Waqar to the nets next day and the rest, as they say, is history.

Waqar went on to play 87 Tests and 262 ODIs for Pakistan and was amongst the best bowlers in the world during his playing days. His tally of 789 international wickets speaks a volume about Waqar's tremendous ability.

According to Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, Imran was a master in understanding a player’s temperament. Ahmed said that Waqar was hammered all over the park in the match in which Imran saw him for the first time.

No one knows what prompted him to pick Waqar but the decision turned out to be a gem as Waqar served the Pakistan cricket for almost 14 years. The story of Inzamam is a more interesting one. According to Imran, some of his scouts had told him about Inzamam and he watched him bat for 5 minutes in the nets with Waqar and Wasim bowling to Inzamam.

Then, in an impromptu manner, he said that Inzamam would play in the 1992 World Cup. Inzamam’s inclusion in the squad raised quite a few eyebrows and it even prompted a selector to resign. Imran also said that the other selectors were also apprehensive about Inzamam’s potential as a big match player.

However, the skipper stuck to his decision as he felt that the talent needs some polishing before he can go on to become a world-beater. Imran’s decision paid off as Inzamam played a magnificent knock in the 1992 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand to steer his side to the final, which they eventually won by beating England.

Inzamam scored a brilliant 60 off just 37 balls to tilt the game in Pakistan’s favour and scripted a memorable win for the Men in Green. The right-handed batsman later went on to play 120 Tests and 378 ODIs for Pakistan in which he amassed over 20000 runs. He is one of the greatest ODI players of all time and his contribution to the Pakistan cricket is second to none.